title: Views of the chairs of Scottish health boards on engagement with quality management and comparisons with English trusts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the views of the chairs of Scottish health boards on the engagement of their boards with healthcare quality and to compare them with the views of the chairs of boards of English acute trusts. The focus of the Scottish Health Boards is on providing and commissioning care, while in England the acute trusts only provide care.
  
  
  METHODS
  We mailed a questionnaire, based on one used in England, to the 14 health board chairs in NHS Scotland in January 2011. The results were compared with the results of a similar questionnaire given to English acute trust chairs in 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most chairs in Scotland (67%) prioritised oversight of quality. Quality is considered at most Board meetings (92%), taking over 20% of time for 69% of chairs. Most boards have local quality targets and feedback quality data to staff. Compared with England, boards in Scotland meet less frequently and focus less on quality (shorter discussions, less frequent data review, fewer local targets) but they are more optimistic about their board's performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although most chairs of Scottish boards view quality as a priority, they pay less attention to it than chairs in England, possibly due to their additional role in commissioning care.
authors.affiliation: E Bream, Department of Public Health, NHS Lothian, Waverley Gate, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh EH1 3EG, UK. elizabeth.bream@nhs.net.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bream
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Jha
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Black
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D054976:Clinical Governance; D004739:England; D006075:Governing Board; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012606:Scotland; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Delivery of healthcare; governing board; quality of healthcare